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Obama Talks With Bill Clinton

By Jeff Zeleny June 30, 2008 5:05 pmJune 30, 2008 5:05 pm

Updated KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Senator Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton spoke by telephone on Monday, their first conversation since the combative Democratic presidential primary season ended this month.

As Mr. Obama arrived here to deliver a speech on patriotism, he called Mr. Clinton. Last week, Mr. Obama left Mr. Clinton messages, but they did not connect because the former president was in Europe. The two covered a range of issues, aides to both men said, including how Mr. Clinton could help in the fall campaign.

“Senator Obama asked him to campaign with and for him in the fall,” said Robert Gibbs, the communications director for Mr. Obama. “I believe the president is excited to do it.”

For Mr. Obama, the discussion with Mr. Clinton was one key piece of unfinished business from the long Democratic nominating fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

While Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have talked several times, in addition to staging a joint appearance last week in Unity, N.H., he had yet to clear the air with the former president after a series of tense long-distance exchanges throughout the primary campaign. Many of the heated discussions about the two men – and their respective surrogates – were rooted in race and the record of the Clinton administration.

Mr. Obama intends to get together soon with Mr. Clinton, aides said, most likely on the former president’s turf. But nothing had been immediately scheduled. Mr. Obama told his advisers that he was eager to bury any animosity and seek advice and input from Mr. Clinton, one of three former presidents who are still alive.

Their telephone conversation lasted about 20 minutes. Aides declined to disclose details of the specific topics that were discussed.

“Senator Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign,” said Bill Burton, a spokesman for Mr. Obama. “He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come.”

The call was announced through simultaneous statements released by the offices of Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton.

“President Clinton had a very good conversation with Senator Obama today,” said Matt McKenna, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton. “He renewed his offer to do whatever he can to ensure Senator Obama is our next president. President Clinton continues to be impressed by Senator Obama and the campaign he has run and looks forward to campaigning for and with him in the months to come.”

“The president,” Mr. McKenna added, “believes that Senator Obama has been a great inspiration for millions of people around the country, and he knows that he will bring the change America needs as our next president.”

Before Mr. Obama announced his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, he and Mr. Clinton were cordial but did not have a deep relationship.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, the two men traveled together to Houston to visit people who had been evacuated from Louisiana.

The relationship immediately changed, though, when Mr. Obama decided to open a presidential campaign. Privately, Mr. Clinton ridiculed him for his decision to run, telling his associates that the senator was too young and inexperienced.

If Mr. Obama is elected, he will be slightly older than Mr. Clinton when he arrived in the Oval Office in 1993.

Bill Clinton should have made Obama beg, but Bill will do anything as long as it services himself. Bill certainly has done a 180 degree flip-flop on Obama. Anything coming from Bill Clinton is no suprise. He threw HRC under the bus during this campaign and many times before.

I am voting for McCain. The Democrats are always the Democrats. McCain has plenty in his arensal that I like, and Obama is another big gab-fest like Bill. At least Bill and Obama have something in common. They cannot stop hearing themselves talk on and on and on. Regarding Bill’s presidency, he is nothing but a third-tier president who will eventuall fall into obscurity. Another thing he and Obama have in common is that both were ill-prepared for the presidency, and Obama is far too much of a risk to take.

Before this year I had forgiven Bill Clinton a lot; his early productive years of his presidency devolved into a sleazy spectacle, but I stood by him. I looked on in amusement after he left office as he raked in the big dough, speaking for the biggest paycheck available. It didn’t bother me — he deserved to be comfortable after paying all of those Whitewater and other legal bills. Then came this political season, where in an unprecedented move the party leader not only campaigned for a primary candidate but became the chief attack dog (hell, even George H. W. Bush stayed neutral in the 2000 Republican primaries). So now we are in this unseemly power play by the ex-president, apparently resentful (and maybe jealous) of this younger, charismatic party leader. I’m all for party harmony, but Bill Clinton continues to fall in my estimation as his wife rises. Sen. Clinton is THE Clinton of the 21st century and she has made a tough, but admirable transition, putting the party’s interests above her own disappointment. She’s continuing to burnish her own image; I guess this is one more example of Bill undermining her strides. Does anyone think that she could possibly still be on a short list of v-p candidates with a petulant, out of control mate like this? Too bad.

I could not believe after that disrespect obama had lashed on Mrs. Clinton, the Clintons still have the heart to forget those ill-winds from obama’s mouth! Hillary supporters we shall go on with McCain as we had professed!

The media is making too much out of this. Who needs Billary…If they were such valuable players she would be the Presidential Candidate. I say good riddance and beat it to Billary and Chelsea, too. In fact, Obama is losing voters as he continues to kiss up to the Clintons, as if he must make nice for beating them fair and square. He is beginning to look very un-presidential. He would be better off not listening to the media when they tell him he needs Hillary’s voters (since they have been wrong from the beginning), he made it this far without them. He should return to his earlier campaign strategy which concentrated on independents, the youth, and new voters. Right now he looks like a chicken without a head pandering to this group then that one. They are making a clown out of him.

I have high hopes for the Obama campaign and his candidacy. Unfortunately, I think that Bill Clinton is best left to his own devises and that he will do far more damage to Senator Obama’s campaign than his support is worth. I lost a lot of respect for President Clinton during the primaries. Once again, he made the Oval Office look small, petty and truculent. And after 16 years of this type of politics, the American public deserves better.

A bit disingenuous, don’t you think, to say that the two men didn’t connect last week because Mr. Clinton was in Europe. I can reach my British inlaws anytime, so I bet the Obama and Clinton camps could have found a way to put the call through.

This whole thing is stupid and just propoganda on the side of the news media, no onew ever told them that was a rift or one or the other was not speaking, come on people, these are politicians, they sleep and eat with the enemy when necessary, Clinton is no fool, nor is Obama, but the media seemed to have fooled quite a number of you on this non-issue

Obama threw the eight Clinton years under the bus during the primaries and now he’s asking for help? Please! The only way I’d vote for the snake-oil salesman is if Bill and Hillary both called me personally and begged. Even then I probably wouldn’t be convinced. Obama is so desperate to grab the reins of this country, he’ll do anything….lie…cheat….steal delegates. These kids who change their names and do whatever Barack asks of them are as inexperienced as he is. Anyone who would take Rev Wright and Father Pflegler seriously or even listen to their rants for one minute should not Captain the ship of State….Obama has not one ounce of practical leadership experience. He doesn’t deserve to talk to Bill Clinton for a second after his lies about him…even accusing him of racism, when Barack, himself, went to a racist church. These fools with their HOPE bumper stickers and signs should change them to HELP! Our country needs help after that farce of a primary. Next time Obama calls Bill he should get a busy signal.

Bill Clinton was a great President, a true patriot, and a classy man.
Obama has to recognize reality, or appear out of touch.
Obama needs to apologize for using race to beat Hillary.
I am sure Bill will be the good American he is and move past his hurt feelings, for the sake of his chosen party.

The Clintons, Bushes, Karl Roves, James Carville’s etc are all political history. It is time to move on like the moveon.org came to the defence of the Clintons during the Monica Lewinsky impeachment trial!

We need a new generation of political leaders to move the country forward.

The stakes are so high. The fate of a democracy literally rides on the size of Obama’s victory. A mandate for change is needed. Please everyone, high and right here on the street, fight and struggle to remove every last Republican from office until that party can reform itself without the crazies that have led it for forty years.

“Because he had no accomplishments of his own, he extolled Irish ones.”

That’s a funny sentence from an insightful short story I once read, about a multi-cultural family.

People who harp on patriotism merely need it as an ego boost to make themselves feel better than others, as they forget that we are all part of humanity, and what’s good for the rest of humanity is good for us, and that doesn’t mean we have to have some advantage over others. Do we need to be better than others (“further American interests”)? No, we merely need to lead a good life, fulfill our potential, exercise our talents, and raise our children in a good environment.

CB said: ”
Obama would be wise to follow Al Gore’s example on enlisting Bill Clinton’s help…
STAY FAR AWAY.”
Since Gore lost, I agree Obama should not use Clinton’s help. All obama’s kool-aid gulpers think he got there because of his record. Win or lose we will eventually know when it’s probably too late

I agree with you thommie. Why is Senator Obama courting the Clintons so hard? It makes him look very weak and unpresidential. I think Obama did so well without the Clintons. Their campaign was so negatitive and I can’t see joining forces with the Clintons will help Obama.

That last sentence is snide and disingenuous. Whatever the age difference, Clinton had several terms as governor to his credit before running for president, which far outweighs Obama’s paltry qualifications for office.

There’s nothing wrong with seeking discussion and advice from those with different experiences. It doesn’t mean Obama will blindly obey anything Clinton says, and it has nothing to do with pandering or lack of change.

Ultimately, his actions will tell us if Obama is serious about changing the way our country is run. I’ve seen nothing so far that says he won’t.

If Obama can win without these old time politicians, why does he spend so much time trying to court their endorsement and their money? There’s nothing NEW about Obama. Is this really news anyway? Who didn’t know that eventually Bill Clinton and Obama would kiss and make up?

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